I Don’t Have Enough Time!

We’ve all said it but is it true? I think what we really mean is how can I better manage my time?

From my experience, nonprofit CEO’s are especially time
strapped, especially those who lead smaller nonprofits with few or no support
staff. The CEO wears many hats and
performs multiple jobs: office management, human resources/personnel,
fundraising, board support, program management, janitorial, just to name a
few.

Even CEO’s with larger nonprofits who have support staff
have time management issues. I’ve seen
many who take little to no time for themselves and when they do schedule down
time, they often end up working instead.

So, how can the busy executive manage all these different
jobs in forty hours a week? Many can’t
and end up working sixty to eighty hours a week and that’s a prescription for
burn-out.

I’ve seen many a CEO arrive late for a meeting, looking
harried and stressed, apologizing for her tardiness because “something” came up
at the office. If this frequently happens to you, you may need help with time
management, delegating, and/or being able to ascertain whether something is
truly an emergency and requires your immediate attention. I can help with those
but for now, we’re going to focus on time management.

There are hundreds of time management books, tools, etc. on
the market. The busy nonprofit executive
needs something that’s simple and easy to implement. Here are my top four, tried and true, time
management tips:

Make a list each week of the top ten (only ten for the week) things you need to accomplish that week. Narrowing your focus to only ten, forces you to prioritize. Put up a large white board in your office where you can easily see it from your desk and write these on the board. Making your top ten visible at all times keeps them top of mind.

Time blocking is a great tool. Block out time on
your calendar for regular, daily tasks like checking and answering emails and
text messages. I recommend 3 times a
day: first thing in the morning, after lunch, and before you leave for the
day. Also, block out time for other
regular weekly tasks you need to accomplish, such as donor thank you letters
and/or phone calls. Block out time for
meetings and then only schedule meetings during those times.

TURN OFF NOTIFICATIONS! Yes, I’m yelling. Those little pop-ups on your computer screen
that announce the arrival of an email or social media post will always derail
your concentration. Same with text messages and phone calls. Trust me, those can wait an hour or two. I know, you’re thinking, “but what if it’s an
emergency?” Really? How often does that happen? There was a time when email and text
messaging didn’t exist, and we all managed just fine.

Before you leave your office at the end of the
day, make a list of the top three things you need to accomplish the next
day. Yes, only three. Again, this forces
you to prioritize. If you finish all
three you can always add more.

Choose one of these and try it for a month. Then, add
another, and so on.

If implementing any of these causes you anxiety or stress,
then there’s most likely a deeper issue here.
A little coaching can help you identify what’s causing the anxiety and
help you strategize ways to overcome the anxiety.

If you would like more information or help with time
management, or some coaching for the anxiety, shoot me an email and let’s talk.